Design and performance of low-energy orbits for the exploration of Enceladus

• Main Authors: Fantino, E, Salazar, F. J. T, Alessi, E. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-04-2021
• Subjects: Physics - Chaotic Dynamics; Physics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2002.01672

Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation,
Volume 90, 2020, 105393, ISSN 1007-5704 The icy moons are in the focus of the exploration plans of the leading space
agencies because of the indications of water-based life and geological activity
observed in a number of these objects. In particular, the presence of
geyser-like jets of water near Enceladus' south pole has turned this moon of
Saturn into a priority candidate to search for life and habitability features.
This investigation proposes a set of trajectories between Halo orbits about
Lagrangian points L1 and L2 in the Saturn-Enceladus Circular Restricted
Three-Body Problem as science orbits for a future in situ mission at Enceladus.
The design methodology is presented, followed by the analysis of the
observational performance of the solutions. The conclusion is that the proposed
orbits exhibit suitable features for their use in the scientific exploration of
Enceladus, i.e., long transfer times, low altitudes, wide surface visibility
windows and long times of overflight.